Barrow Fields And under mountains in the moon

Made some assumptions that I hope are ok, so I kept things vague!  This thread may be technically a little forward dated, but for now, IDK.  It exists. XD  Tags probably just for ref.

He had turned and left, incredulous at the fact that his own father had gone and so deeply betrayed them.  Why would @Delight allow himself to be bewitched by those two hags?  They'd destroyed the pack, destroyed their lives, and for some bizarre reason everyone circled the wagons around them like they were the most precious things on earth.  They weren't.  Not at all.  Delight had long since given up on his own three children that already existed -- Solomon apparently was worth even less than himself and his sister, from what he could tell -- because of women that probably should have been fed to the cats that they were too weak to scare away in the first place.  There really wasn't much to be discussed about it, even if Delight had tried -- just nope, he was not going to stand for this.  He was no longer even worth a good bye.  The pack was a disaster, mid-collision with an iceberg that only Mal could see and he was going to go out, find a lifeboat and rescue the one person in the pack that he actually gave a damn about.

He'd told @Brilliance that he was't going to stay.  That he couldn't bring himself to continue to stay in this festering wound of a pack.  That he would find something better, as he had previously mentioned numerous times before.  He had a plan, sort of a timeline, and he had to do something because nobody else out there was willing to do so.  He was tired of their bad treatment, of just being ignored.  He needed a place where he and his sister could actually live and not suffer.  But he would be back.  He'd go out on a longer quest -- like a month or so -- then he'd come back and report what he'd found.  Hopefully by then there'd be something.  Though Mahler had made his offer, Mal wasn't sure if he as going to take it right off the bat -- it sounded too convenient, and he felt like something being so easily available would turn out to be a disaster.  No, he would need to make sure that wherever they went would be right.  At the very least, he made sure Brillo knew that if things really did go to hell, at least that might be a place for her to go hide -- Mal would be able to find her there if she was gone when he returned to Elysium.  But hey, at least with him gone, she could have what he'd normally take from the cache, so maybe that would help her here.  He didn't know how to otherwise help her.

Now he was out here on his own, in the wide sprawl of a snow-laden field.  Though it was cold, the weather was fair for the season.  He'd eaten the rabbit he'd brought with him from the cache earlier in the day, and now it was just him.  Just a boy putting as much distance between himself and his past as he could, going a direction that he usually didn't if only so he'd be less likely to be chased.  Hopefully he had nobody trailing him.  They'd had ample chances to do something, but the modus operandi of Elysium seemed to be, "do nothing."  He didn't believe in it.

You know that feeling when you drink too much coffee too late in the evening and you can't calm down, no matter how much you want to?

Yeah, enter Verx right about now.

A better man would be happy to be in his place. A better man would face the opportunity with a smile and a big loving heart. But Vercingetorix had never been "better" and never had claimed to be, either. He was a rake, a cad, a standard-issue fuckboy. He wasn't cut out for this shit.

So, heart pounding with emotions ranging from dread to rage and everything in between, the cheka headed out for a short while, trying to find some semblance of peace. The sequoias near Hougeda had taken enough damage for a lifetime (though he'd been much more damaged by them in the process). Perhaps there was something more worthwhile out here. Something he could really sink his teeth (or dick) (or both? just kidding?) into.

Turns out, the kid that popped up was neither--but at least it was a deviation from the norm. He'd take it.

You look like you're on a mission from God, Verx jested, voice carrying on the wind to the boy. He was just about Ephraim's age, or maybe younger, and--oh fuck, Ephraim. Just another kick in the nuts to deal with, right? Anyway, the thought gave him a pang, and he tried to push it as far away as possible.

today marked the first day following firefly’ abrupt overthrow. it was not something caiaphas wished to think of; suddenly unshackled from the duties of alphaship, the siren slipped from rusalka’s borders and made for the familiar grasslands of the barrow.

much like mal, and even vercingetorix, caiaphas wished for something to sink her teeth into.

she found that something too — the dragedan’s scent was easy enough to pick off in the wind, but caiaphas did not advance. instead, she skirted around the base of one of the many raised borrows, easily scaling the cairn with several artful leaps.

it had been some time since their skirmish with the drageda forces, and most of rusalka’s boiling blood had settled — but caiaphas could not, and would not forget the injustice they had done to her packmates.

how fitting it seemed, on the day she wished to do nothing more than rip something apart, that none other than her enemy appeared.

from her vantage, she saw mal— a wolf she hadn’t been aware was here in the fields as well. he seemed to be the same age as her own fleet of yearlings, give or take — and it appeared the familiar form of vercingetorix had overtaken him.

settling on the snow-dappled mound, caiaphas peered down upon the duo, her gaze largely on the blackened cur with detached and vaguely creepy amusement.

The guy that appeared was yet another of the big dark colored dudes he seemed to have an 80% chance of meeting.  Okay, not quite that percent.  Whoever he was, he earned a suspicious eyeballing by the youth.  God or gods or whatever.  He was pretty sure that was something Olive rambled about.  He did his best to tune her out, so whether it was upper or lower case, deities were not something he wanted to be associated with.  It's my mission, nobody else's.  Or something.  If he sounded tough, maybe they'd leave him alone.  Anyone older than him got a complimentary pile of suspicion -- or did everyone?  Man.  Probably mostly adults though.

Then there was that uncanny feeling of being stared at -- he dared to look over and spotted some woman watching them.  The fact that there were two of them made him uneasy.  He took a step or two back, turning as he did so to better keep them both within his peripheral vision.  It wasn't exactly going to be easy.

To say Mal was unaware of what had gone on between their packs was understatement of the century -- hell, he didn't even know what their packs were.  As it were, since she was far enough away, Mal was assuming for the few uncertain moments it might last, that these two adults were from the same pack.  That'd probably be clarified pretty soon, though, if the player's guess was right.

The aftermath of his rise had been frought with resistance, and when he woke that morning it was after a sleep plagued by doubt. Nobody had come for him in his sleep which was a good sign, but the day was young and now that Firefly was awake and roaming - doing his usual duties - he fell in to the routine that he'd fashioned over the past few weeks. He couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to confront Caiaphas and explain himself; thus he went hunting for her, and when her trail led away from the Sound he picked up his pace. Hopefully his challenge did not make her want to leave. Rusalka would be forever changed if the crone were to depart from them - and it had not been his intention to drive her off.

As Firefly followed along the woman's trail he came across the scent of other wolves; firstly he noticed the umistakeable scent of Drageda. The unfamiliar scent mixed in to the air was, for that moment anyway, ignored. He would not let harm come to the demoted Alpha, he respected her too much. She was family. Even if he'd taken her crown, there was that.

Firefly came up alongside Caiaphas in the next moment. She was poised on a small rise and was watching something, but he chuffed to her just to be sure she didn't get startled from her post. Then, in silence, Firefly observed what she was watching - and saw the pissant who had visited them months ago. He couldn't help but grimace.

Ever hear of a saying, kid? Verx drawled, rolling his eyes. Before he could ask for the boy's name, a scent on the wind drew his attention--and he turned to see Blackhead, her yellow eyes fixed unnervingly on him. And then there were two, as the mouthy bastard from the Sound came to her side. Now all they needed was that pale fucker who'd tried to chase him off neutral territory and it would be a real party.

Take a picture--it'll last longer, he shouted to the Rusalka pair, brows coming together. He glanced back at the young man. They're creepy as fuck. Hide out in their little nest down by the sea. Not great company.

the siren had yet to decide what it was she wished to do; on the one hand, fate had a strange way of presenting twists when one needed it. on the other, it could very well be a trap. last she had encountered dragedans, they had swarmed out from the blackness like oily roaches. she was loathe to test her luck.

just as mal caught sight of her, there came a crunch of paws behind her. her ear pulled back and she was met with the approaching form of the man who saw fit to depose her. any accusation of him following her was clearly conveyed in her eyes, but she did not speak -- for the brassy, impudent man below had thrown some sort of riposte their way.

bolstered by firefly's presence, the crone slid down the embankment and made her way towards vercingetorix -- unflinchingly. he was mouthy as any, but she had met many mouthy men -- often, their insolence was a way of hiding deeper insecurities, or flaws in their patchwork.

so few of the cheeky men caiaphas had met ever had physical strength to rival their mouth.

caiaphas smiled wanly, turning her gaze to mal and ignoring the incorrect surmisal vercingetorix had delivered. "you look lost."

He was too distracted by yet another wolf coming onto the scene to think up some obviously super clever retort.  Where were they coming from?  They were like ants or something and someone poked the trail and pissed one off.  What did he walk into?

Mali was probably willing to believe just about anything anyone said as long as it was negative.  That was pretty much the world as a whole from his experience, wasn't it?  It was an awful place.  As such, Verx's words probably had a bit more weight to them than what Caiaphas was going to say.  In fact, what she did say put her at a disadvantage.  Mal was not a child who had wandered too far.  He had a purpose (sort of) and someone falling right back into that whole, 'Oh woe is you child, you don't know anything,' kind of pity or whatever just grated on his nerves.  Mal hadn't been on this trip long enough to want or need the charity of others.  He scowled, So you're blind, then?

He took another couple of steps back from all of them and stopped, eyes flicking between the trio of adults suspiciously, not really willing to trust any of them.

Once he was roosted beside Caiaphas (feeling the power of her sharp gaze for all of thirty seconds) he did not move again, and watched as she departed from the ridge to intercept the pair of wolves below. Firefly might've followed her but he trusted her judgement, and preferred to watch from his position. There was no point in crowding the newcomer - and he had no intention of getting close to the pugnacious dragedan if he could help it. Then again, his choice was putting Caiaphas in to the line of fire if things were to go awry; she could handle herself and things had not gone sour yet.

Firefly was less interested in a pissing match on the beach and more curious of the newcomer. When they slunk back from the pair of coastal wolves and began to try to escape from them (or so it seemed), Firefly heard the snide comment and couldn't help but smirk. The corners of his lips turned, and he glanced to Caiaphas as if to wordlessly say, 'What a burn,' but he held his tongue. As the boy looked from wolf to wolf, he caught Firefly's gaze for a second or two and it was ripe with anxiety.

With a lick of his lips, the newly crowned Alpha called down from the ridge, You hungry, kid? No pity here, just curiosity. The question came with the implication that there was food available - that was what Firefly was offering anyways, food and shelter and whatever else a lone wolf might need. He'd been there, he understood to some degree what appealed.

He just. . .didn't have time for this shit. He'd seen the young man and thought he'd make good company, and now it had turned into the Rusalkans swooping down upon the boy like birds of prey. Fucking vultures. Verx gave another eye roll at Caiaphas's assessment, and then they went skyward when Lieutenant Asshole in his high place offered food.

They'll fatten you up and then eat you, Vercingetorix chuckled. Seems like nursery rhyme shit, right? I dunno, man. Weird as fuck, like I said.

But he was bored and slightly uncomfortable already. It was like talking to your new next-door neighbor when a couple of proselytizers came to the door in their spiffy outfits, book of wisdom in hand. Look, I get it man, heaven is great and all, but I really just wanted to talk about the game on Sunday.

With all this in mind, Verx began to pad away, giving a dip of his head in farewell to the stranger. Let them preach the good word. He didn't care to hear it.

caiaphas was not a wolf inexperienced with the angery exasperation of yearlings. one didn’t become the teekon’s most notorious pup-napper without being indoctrinated to adolescent vitriol.

and very little perplexed teens more than apathy. the sylph, had she had arms, would have spread them palm upwards in a gesture of indifference to mal’s assessment of her sight. hmm, no. just observant. you’re not mine, you’re not his. which means you don’t belong here. her gaze flickered as firefly offered food - a different approach than she might have taken, but he was their captain now.

she shrugged, watching as vercingetorix couldn’t resist one last barb before departure. good luck, kid. caiaphas said rather inattentively, her focus on the receding backside of the dragedan. mal might have been an object of interest before, but dragedan cur, alone and outnumbered, took precedence. caiaphas had not forgotten the iniquities suffered on their aggressive neighbor’s behalf — as the spot-cloaked male moved off, caiaphas trailed right after him.

Maybe had things gone differently, he might have had an okay conversation with Verx.  Or not.  It was kind of hard to tell, and the youth wasn't exactly great with words.  At least what he said definitely appealed to the conspiracies that Mal saw in basically everything, and he grunted something in vague affirmation.  In the end, it seemed like this whole giant meet 'n' greet was going to be too much for basically everyone involved.

Apathy was not a thing perplexing to Mal.  That had been most of his existence -- being nice was far more suspicious just for its oddity.  And her change in attitude only confirmed what he didn't need Verx to tell him -- she wanted something from him, and when he didn't run over and sing her praises, suddenly he was useless. Par for the course.  Wow, you're so wise, he said blandly, thoroughly unimpressed by whatever it was she was supposed to be selling.  Mal was plenty old enough to be out on his own, even if his skills weren't up to par, and as it were at this instant, that would be hard to tell.  He wouldn't be trading one set of witches for another.

But since the first guy was well on his way out and the woman seemed to be following, that left him only with the dude still up on the hill who was also doing the whole trying to lure him in by being nice thing.  Let's be real, nobody wanted Mal.  Nobody ever had.  If they knew who they were dealing with, then certainly they wouldn't have even tried.  Mal wasn't exactly keen on calling back, though he did sort of watch him as he started to move away, planning on circling around the mountains and seeing what was beyond unless he was stopped.

The kid reacted to each of them with the same disdain and malaise, regardless of what they said. Firefly was quiet as he watched the others try to get a rise out of the kid — first the dragedan, then Caiaphas (whom he would've expected to be a bit harsher, but maybe she was still smarting after her loss of rank), and finally they moved to depart and it was down to the kid and himself. He was actually pretty comfortable where he was. Settled on the ridge, looking every part like a rough-hewn sphynx, merely minding his own business.

There hadn't been much of a response to what Firefly offered. He watched the boy - studied him as best he could from the distance, with his poor vision, and contemplated what the hell his deal was. Maybe he wasn't hungry? Maybe he hated the smell of the coast. Or people. People could be a bit much, and it was hard to trust the majority of them. Firefly glanced at the retreating figures of the adults and let a small frown slip across his face; they were giving up so easily, which is probably what the kid wanted. That didn't sit right with him for some reason -- he was a person, not just a piece of driftwood worth squabbling over until interest wore off.

Since the others had quit, Firefly didn't know what he wanted to do. He could return with Caiaphas but that would've been an awkward walk home - a quiet one, most likely. They could entertain one another by toying with the fool from Drageda except that might've caused their already damaged relationship to strain further and he had to think about the safety of the future generation. So, he would wait for Caiaphas to get a head-start. That meant he'd need something - or someone - to keep him entertained, thus leading to the sphynx standing on the ledge and finding his way down towards the boy.

He didn't get super close, but it was clear by the purposeful way he carried himself he wasn't going to let Mal get far (even if he wanted to be rid of his company). When he was within conversation distance he gave the boy a very obvious up-and-down look with his eyes, checking for illness or issues, and then said: Look, kid, I'm not going to drag you back with us, or fatten you up for eating, or any of that bullshit. But see, I royally pissed off that lady you met earlier - that old one, he tossed his head towards the path Caiaphas had taken, and I don't fancy the hike back home with her, you know? She's pretty bitchy to begin with and -- well, fuck, you won't care about the specifics. So I'm going to hang out with you for a minute.

One thing was clear by the authoritative tone in his voice, he wasn't asking permission. But before the silence could really settle in around them, he asked: I assume you have a name, kid. Or should I invent one for you?

Except, it wasn't over until it was over. He heard pawsteps behind him and twisted his neck, catching Blackhead in his peripheral. You look lost, he echoed her, smirking before turning back to the path ahead. She was alone, which meant mouthy asshole hadn't followed--smart decision, really.

What was she gonna do, bite him in the ass? Apart from the slander, he personally hadn't done anything wrong. As for Drageda, sure, they had taken Rosalyn. . .but she had it coming, being a natrona and all. Eurycrates, well, he was just a dumbass. She couldn't miss him that much.

firefly lingered behind, likely for the best, considering what the crone planned next.  mal’s presence had been simply a happy convenience— the real prize was finding vercingetorix alone. 

ever since the day drageda had first accosted griminsmal, the day of the assault on her daughter, the execution of her subordinate, and the abduction of her packmate, caiaphas had waited for this moment. to find one of the dogs alone, her access unfettered. to show them the true meaning of war, to show them atrocious actions had atrocious consequences, and that the constellation of injustices placed on both grimnsimal and rusalka would at last be avenged.

she knew the stygian man to be of some importance to drageda; nothing imparted a cruel lesson learnedly like losing something valuable. 

she could say it was nothing personal — but oh, it was. 

on the contrary, the old snake smiled, speeding up her gait, i am right where i  need to be.

with a grunt she lunged for the beast’s hocks, hoping to hamstring his progress by forcing him to spin around to defend himself. when he did so, he would find the harpy’s fangs rising to meet him — aiming to vanquish drageda hide.

Of course one of them had to tag along to be annoying. Classic.  Whatever, Mal wasn't going to stop or even slow down, he had things to do (not really).  Hopefully he'd buzz off after a point like he seemed to be promising.  Whatever.  -- Does it really matter?  I'm not planning on running into you again like ever.  Despite the shifting attitude, this one of which he might have been slightly more open to, he'd already locked it in his mind that they weren't to be trusted.  It was like giving his true name to some kind of witch or demon or something.  Just probably not a good idea, somehow or other.

Mal was also completely unaware of whatever was going on with the other two wolves.  Even if he did hear what was going on, as long as it wasn't catching up to him, he'd put it out of his mind.  Not his circus.

Firefly didn't pay much attention to whatever was going on between Caiaphas and the dragedan, he was too focused on the kid. This guy had one mighty stick up his ass and it wasn't really his job to remove it, but he still didn't feel inclined to leave the boy to his own devices just yet. His bad attitude must have stemmed from somewhere. 'It isn't worth getting involved,' he thought suddenly — yet as soon as Firefly became aware of his pessimism he shut it down, surprised at himself for being so cold-hearted. How could Rusalka benefit from having someone like this among their ranks? How could he possibly convince the kid that it was worth the shot to come back with them..? He clearly wasn't interested, and his responses were anything but inviting.

So, he'd have to take a pass on this one. As much as he'd wanted to help the kid out when he'd first spotted him, Firefly knew it would be a drain on resources, time, and his energy to bother committing to some random kid that didn't really want to be there. He rolled his shoulders and murmured, yeah, you could go that route, he agreed, meet every opportunity like its gonna bite you, isolate yourself, hide from whatever potential you might have otherwise attained, he listed these things off like they weren't that important, a lethargic quality filling his drawling voice. Or not. You're lucky you ran in to us and not someone more spiteful, 'cuz they'd probably have torn you to pieces. But hey, what do I care - I'm just some asshole on a beach, right?

But he was turning around, not giving the kid another look as he gave him his space. After a few strides Firefly noticed the sharp movement of Caiaphas towards the retreating figure of the dragedan and felt himself bristle. He would've stayed a bit longer to try and convince the surly child but he was eager to close the distance between himself and his pack mate. Somehow deep down, he knew his words wouldn't mean anything at all and the kid would be true to his word - keeping away from the coast from that point.

Oh, whatever, you dumb bi-- His rejoinder was cut off by the sensation of her fangs grazing a hind leg, and when he spun around, the little witch was coming toward him with teeth bared. What the actual fuck? Verx snorted and kept his footing, knowing he had the size advantage. Let her come, let her take a little pound of flesh. He'd snap her neck like a toothpick.

He dug his chin into his throat and charged at her like a battering ram, hoping to knock her askew. Meanwhile, he caught the approaching form of Asshole in the corner of his eye, and could have sighed.

Just another fuckin day in paradise, right?

It’d only been another day at the cliffs — he’d be wandering along the edges of Drageda’s eastern perimeter, intending to continue with his wandering a bit further beyond. He’d only wanted to fill his lungs with spring air and the sea; but instead, his gut wrenched him into a cautious canter towards the Burrows.

When he saw the clusterfuck taking place (unfortunately, not the sort he’d always hoped for), he surged past an entangled Verx and the harpy, pale and wraith. Meaning to intercept @Firefly as an almost-euphoric ”Braska!” wreathed and rasped from his scarred maw. Paradise indeed.

caiaphas' lunge to grab the male's attention was but a graze -- as he whirled around, he did so far faster than she anticipated -- and the siren's aim proved untrue.

she drew herself up in silence, her scornful gaze measuring the depth of his stride. he was swinging towards her as if a gaul's axe -- in seconds his chest had barreled into her flank, flinging her aside.

steady on her feet but feeling the smart of the blow, caiaphas winced as she sprung after his careening form. this time the wretch's jaws parted in the attempt to seize shoulder and halt his escape --  and if she hit true, the thorned blades of her incisors would attempt to shear and disfigure flesh.

Feel free to skip him unless he's actually involved somehow!  If I'm not paying attention, @ me at the end so I can do one post of him actually scramming.

See?  They weren't worth his time.  Totally was right, he should just keep going.  Yeah, that's you.  Sorry, I'm not some scared little baby who needs you.  You're not special, you just want someone you can use.  Like everyone else.  They wanted their own little prisoners to walk all over after promising them the world.  And here this dude was, proving he was just like the others that turned away from Mal in his life.  No loss on Mal's part.  He could just keep going.

And maybe had that dude just walked away he wouldn't have even looked back, but he heard the pawsteps increase in tempo, so the youth turned and looked over his shoulder.  Wait.  What the hell was even going on?  Weren't they just talking a minute ago and now they were fighting? And where did that white dude even come from?  Seriously, whaaaaat.

He gawked from a distance.  No way in hell he was gonna go closer, better to be a professional rubbernecker.

He'd missed the dip of Caiaphas' head as she went to grab at Verx, but he was gaining on the little party and grimaced, bearing his teeth as he made his approach. The goal was to get in between them if he had to — stop the pointless brawling before something went wrong — but then he was taken by surprise. A pale figure came bolting across the sand; in the silverlight of spring's dawning Firefly couldn't make out who or what it was, at least for a moment. It was like being blinded by a mirage.

Then, everything came together. A shout; the stampede of feet crushing sand; a collision of white on gold as Firefly was bulldozed right out of the picture. His limbs buckled and ankles twisted, sprawling awkwardly and being forced to the dirt before he could really get to Caiaphas' aid. The man loosed a frustrated roar and struggled against the weight of his attacker, snapping his teeth without any proper aim and tried to find his footing before things went completely sideways.

He barely registered the flash of white that went by like lightning before his head connected with Blackhead's body and sent her back. Any other wolf of her size would be sprawled out on the ground, but she was clearly a notch above. Not gonna lie, he had mad respect for her. Any other universe, he'd follow her to the ends of the earth.

But this was this universe, and in this universe, he was going to pound her into the fucking ground.

Verx advanced on her, but before he could deliver another blow, her mouth tore into his shoulder. He let out a grunt as pain rippled through him and his coat grew darker with hot blood. Paws scrabbling on the ground, he twisted and tried to free himself from her grasp. All the while, his jaws sought purchase along the arch of her neck.

With this smoldering male beneath him, Vonn threw his weight into his upper body, using the heft that was there to restrain the flailing Rusalkan beneath him. ”Now, now—“ he tsked, a doting smirk of reprimand curving into that pale face, ”As adorable as you are to writhe for me, I think it may be into your best interest to settle.”

The roar of frustration had Vonn’a ears shearing back, and regardless of it all, he did the next best thing he could think of: he plopped right down onto Firefly, distributing what burliness he could of himself, and snickered into that dark face. ”There somewhere you need to be, sweetness?” But for a moment, his eyes flickered to Verx, tensed at his groan of pain—

---

She’d returned with Opalia early in yesterday’s morning, to gather her strength today before setting off for one of the lengthier forages. The return was also to check Rose’s stores, before she departed to replenish them and her own. With Blodreina vanished to thin air, the creamed maiden was undeniably her second choice.

The herbalist had been drawn from Hougeda by this myriad she now prepared to conquer; she was implored further by Vonnaruil’s shout, and waddled with all haste to the eastern perimeter. Vonn— keeping some adversary in place, sneering in delight. Verx— tangled with the harpy, felt the ruby rush of blood even from here.

She kept herself tethered where she was within the sequoian treeline. Breath stuttered from her scarred lips, ensnared between retaliation and retreat and her full-moon eyes silver and— and Vonn, and Verx— this chaos—

while siren and dragedan tussled, a different scene played out nearby. firefly's form was accosted by a white blur, something caiaphas only just barely registered as she grappled with her enemy.

vercingetorix's brute strength outmatched hers, and caiapahas found the grip she had on his nape tenuous at best. he surged and bucked, forcing the siren's hold to slake - the dragedan's sheer force shrugged her insistent teeth off. she landed in a loose trot, her hungering gaze following as the grim face of her enemy swung back for seconds.

she pivoted then, attempting to evade his heavy fangs. vercingetorix was moving too fast to dodge, and instead teeth connected on the flesh just above her shoulder, digging cruelly in. fueled by vengeance and now pain, the siren dropped her shoulder downwards hoping to unbalance him, following the move with a sprightly lunge upwards while her front limbs splayed out for balance -- her fangs seeking the tender fold just beneath his square jaw.